NEW ORLEANS — If you're planning to head to the beach this July 4th holiday, listen to warnings. At least 11 people have died near Florida's beaches from apparent drownings and you need to be aware of dangerous rip currents.
A rip current is a powerful, narrow channel of water that you can't see from shore. It won't pull you under water, but will pull you away from shore.
"It cut's a path underwater that you cannot see and it flows out like a strong river into the ocean," said Cindy Caldwell with Harry's Dive Shop.
If you get caught in one and don't know what to do, they can be deadly. Along the Florida and Alabama coast, at least 11 people have died over 10 days from drowning.
"When you get caught in it it's kind of too late unless you know how to handle it," Caldwell said.
So if you find yourself caught in a rip current, Caldwell said first stay calm. Trying to fight it by swimming back will make the situation worse.
"It's understandable that if you're caught in a current taking you one direction, you think you can swim against it but you will fatigue long before the current stops running and you'll get so tired, maybe you take a gulp of water, nobody can see you, you call for help and it's sadly pretty quick," Caldwell said.
If you are caught in a current, the best way to safely get back to shore is to swim parallel to the shore until you're out of its strength. If you're fatigued or don't know how to swim, float.
"Roll over on your back and float. Don’t try calling for help because you’ll choke and voices don’t carry over the water," Caldwell said.
If going in the water, Caldwell recommends having a floatation device with you and a whistle on your wrist.
"A voice can't carry over the water, a whistle will get people looking," Caldwell said.
Watch for flag warnings. Double red flags means swimmers are banned from the water. Panama City Beach had double red flags over the weekend. A single red flag like at Panama City Beach Thursday, means high hazard and strong currents and it's advised swimmers only go knee deep.